


Love in the Sun

by IndigoDream



Series: The Mummy [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: 1930s Egypt, Bisexual Maia Roberts, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Lesbian Clary Fray, Swordfighting, girlfriends in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:22:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23378320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IndigoDream/pseuds/IndigoDream
Summary: Clary’s sweating as the sword falls down on her, and she barely blocks it with her broken staff. Her arms are sore, her whole body is sore, and yet, she’s ecstatic. This is the first time she has managed to hold Gretel back for so long, and besides Maia, Gretel is definitely the best fighter of the clan.--Clary wait for the return of her lover from a clan meeting and trains with a new friend. When Maia returns, Clary is more than happy to see her again.
Relationships: Clary Fray/Maia Roberts
Series: The Mummy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664599
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	Love in the Sun

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again!! 
> 
> I have been waiting to share this for TWO weeks, y'all. This was so fun to write, and is definitely different from the first instalment of the series! I've also been working on the mummy returns... My goal is to have the outline finished by next weekend, when I'll post a melizzy one shot to go along with this one! So... If you must know, I believe the first chapter of the Mummy Returns (name has yet to be decided so if you have suggestions, feel free!) will be posted either the 12th or 19th of April! 
> 
> I'm starting to be active a bit more on tumblr (@saltytransidiot) although I've mostly been talking of Geralt/Jaskier from The Witcher lately oops. They have become my latest obsession, with the whole quarantine thing! I would LOVE to talk about this series though, and about Shadowhunter as well, so don't hesitate :) 
> 
> For people new to this series (if you've made it through my rambling I applaud you): this is a follow-up from A Curse Upon Your Name! I believe it can be read independently, but some of the details may be hazy!
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy Clary and Maia being happily in love!

Clary’s sweating as the sword falls down on her, and she barely blocks it with her broken staff. Her arms are sore, her whole body is sore, and yet, she’s ecstatic. This is the first time she has managed to hold Gretel back for so long, and besides Maia, Gretel is definitely the best fighter of the clan. 

“You’re learning fast, Redhead,” Gretel snarks a bit as she moves back, sliding away from Clary. “But not fast enough.” 

Clary is about to retort, twirling the two halves of the stick in her hands, when Gretel strides forward. Her sword is aimed at Clary’s stomach, so Clary goes to protect herself there, but suddenly Gretel is next to her and her sword is pressed flat against Clary’s neck. 

“You aren’t ready yet," Gretel says and withdraws her sword. 

“I know,” Clary answers, frustrated. “I’ve only been here three months! You can’t expect me to be as good as you are already.” 

“I can’t but you asked to be trained like one of us, so I won’t act any different. I’m not Maia, Redhead. I won’t let you win because you are batting your eyelashes at me.” 

Clary blushes brightly at the comment. Her relationship with the Medjai ruler is well known, and no one in the clan has expressed any issue with it, but she can’t help the twinge of shame and worry she feels whenever the relationship is mentioned in public. It’s years of learning to hide it, years of making sure no one was following her as she went to her current lover’s chambers. She can’t be expected to forget it in such a short time. She feels more comfortable here with the Medjai than in any place outside of her home with her siblings, but she can’t erase from her mind the idea that she should not be proud of her love for the dark skinned woman. 

“Maia has never let me win a sparring round because of what’s between us,” she answers hotly. 

“And yet you're training with me now.” 

“That’s because Maia has a lot to do! And we both felt it would be better if someone else were to take over my training. You know all this already! Why are you questioning it now?” 

Clary sees it happening just because she’s glaring at Gretel; the white-haired woman thrusts her sword towards Clary, and her movement is sure and just. If Clary didn’t move, it would slice her open from the collarbone to the hips. But Clary does move, and the left half of her staff hits the sword harshly, sending it backwards. The momentum of the moment forces Gretel to let go of her sword, and it falls in the sand, behind them. Immediately, Clary attacks. Her left staff goes to hit her mentor in the jaw, the right in the neck. Both hits are avoided however, as Gretel has dropped to the ground, swiping at Clary’s legs. The redhead falls over without realizing, and in a flash Gretel has her sword back and has it pointed at Clary’s neck. 

“You’re getting better. You need to stop thinking about what you should do next and focus on the moment present. It’ll give you the opportunity to observe your opponent properly and respond to their actions, rather than to what you think their actions will be.” 

Extending a hand, Gretel helps Clary get back up and breaks into a light smile. 

“You’re doing great. Don't let words distract you though, alright?” At the other woman’s nod, she finishes. “Let’s end here for today. You’re tired and I heard Maia was coming back from her meeting with the other leaders at sunset.” 

Again, Clary blushes. Everyone has been quite kind to her since she arrived, but even more since Maia left a week ago, to meet with the eleven other leaders of the Medjai. Which should include Meliorn, so perhaps Maia will bring back news of Izzy. 

Getting back to her home, Clary worries a bit about her state. She’s sweaty, covered in freckles and her skin is tanner than it has ever been. She’s taken to wearing sleeveless tunics with long pants, and all her pants are currently dirty with dust, sand and sweat. She has a dress that she hasn’t worn in months that she could put on, but she isn’t sure if Maia would enjoy that. It’s distinctively English, floral, and only reaches her knees. Maia definitely wouldn’t object to that, but what if she doesn’t like the design? The Medjai have a more practical, less flowery tendency in their outfits. Clary likes it, but sometimes she wants to dress the way she used to when she went on lunch outings with her siblings. 

She sighs as she pushes the tent flap open. It’s homey, and she likes it, their one room living space. She hasn’t missed the Lightwood Manor at all, and she is at total comfort here. Anywhere with Maia is comfy anyway. She rummages through the trunks where she keeps her outfits, grabs the dress, and walks back outside. She doesn’t have much of a choice anyway, and Maia would want her to be proud of whatever she wears. 

She goes to the communal women's tent, where they keep a bath for the women, and washes up. She finds Gretel already there and rolls her eyes when her training mentor indicates her dress with a grin. There is no shame here, no hiding of one’s body, not even with the knowledge that Clary is attracted to women. Everyone treats it naturally, and she does appreciate that greatly. This is a part she’ll never miss from the British. 

She gets dried up and ties her wet hair in a neat braid, Izzy’s fingers caressing her scalp in her memories. She was the one who had taught her how to braid her hair properly, how to take care of herself and still have space to be herself, not just what was expected of her. Though, it had been Alec who had always defended her right to do so, and he had fought more than one man who had made a nasty comment about Izzy and herself. That, she misses. That feeling of unity she had with them was her everything for a long time. She has been discovering more and more even since she met Maia, but one part of her will always long to be with her siblings. They are more than siblings, they are her best friends. 

She puts the dress on, and for the first time since she left with Maia, she finds herself dressed like a typical young woman from the British lower upper class. It’s a bit strange, and the dress is fitting differently from before, but she doesn’t hate it. She has put on more muscles, her arms stronger and her shoulders a bit more square. Her face hasn’t changed though, and as she looks at herself in the mirror of the washing tent, she finds herself beautiful. 

“You should get going, Redhead,” Gretel says from behind her with a teasing smile. “Our fearless leader will want you in your tent when she comes back.” 

The implications of it make Clary blush. “You are shameless Gretel,” she admonishes but the other woman only laughs. 

“Am I? I thought that was why you were wearing such an outfit. Try to keep your voice in tonight, you wouldn’t want to go scaring the birds again.” 

“It happened once!" Clary protests. “Will you ever let me live it down?” 

Gretel laughs again and pushes her out of the tent. “Never, Redhead!” 

Clary sighs a bit, but she is still smiling, so her pretend wounded pride is not as effective. Maia is… an extremely considerate lover, who had decided one night to rise to Clary’s challenge that she would never make her be loud enough for others to hear, since they kept their home slightly away from the rest of the cluster of tents. Clary had been very wrong. 

Maia’s horse, a beautiful cream coloured stallion named Ramalia, is tied next to the others when Clary passes by the enclosure, and she starts running. Her lover is home. 

Maia is taking off her riding boots, sitting at one of the chair around their dinner table, when Clary comes in. When she looks up and sees the redheaded woman, all the tiredness of the travel washes off her face and she tosses off her boot to one side. She is immediately back on her feet, damned be the fact that she still has her left boot on, and lifting Clary in her arms. 

“You’re early," Clary half-accuses in between deep kisses and being twirled around. “I wanted to be here by the time you came home.” 

“I thought you would want to see me as fast as possible,” Maia smiles and holds her girlfriend tenderly. “You haven’t worn this yet.” 

Her eyes take in Clary's outfit, looking at the way her legs are exposed, at the way Clary’s cleavage is framed by the closed dress. Usually, Clary’s tunics reveal her cleavage, and Maia has shown her appreciation for that more than once, but there is something heated in her eyes as she takes in her lover’s covered form. Her hands wander to Clary’s hips, holding her still. 

“You are beautiful,” she compliments truthfully and steals another kiss. 

They keep kissing until both are breathless, until there is no space left between them anymore and Clary _wants_. They haven’t seen each other in six days, which is the longest ever since they defeated Lilith together. Clary’s pretty sure it’s been over six months now, but sometimes the days blend in together, and she forgets to count which day it is. 

“So are you, my Medjai," she whispers and takes another breathless kiss. She can’t stop herself now, can’t think of anything but Maia, Maia, Maia. Her fierce warrior, her leader, her lover. 

“My love,” Maia chuckles softly and caresses her cheeks, stopping her from getting more kisses. “I need to get changed, and then we’ll have dinner with the clan. Will you allow that, before we retire to bed, to our own activities?” 

Clary pouts slightly, but she nods and kneels quickly in front of Maia as she sits back down. 

“You don’t have to,” the leader says, but Clary silences her with a look. 

“I’m not doing it because I think I have to,” Clary affirms as she slowly undoes Maia’s second boot and tosses it to the side. “Think of it as me getting a taste of our evening beforehand.” 

Maia chuckles again and lets her. Clary’s hand wanders on her lover’s ankles, caressing them, caressing up her legs, until she reaches the laces of the pants Maia wears, and slowly unties the knots there. Maia’s breathing is a bit faster now, a bit more laboured, and Clary smiles to herself as she hears the desire in it. She would love nothing more than to bed Maia at the moment, to fuck her with her fingers and make her moan and ask for more, but right now they have to see the Clan, and that means they have to stay polite enough for company. 

“Later, my love," she breathes out slowly as she stands up slowly. “I’ll give you everything you want later.” 

“You better," Maia orders almost jokingly and pulls Clary on her lap, “I wouldn’t want to think you’re just a tease.” 

As Clary undoes the lacings of Maia’s shirt, feeling her lover’s chest rise and fall with her breathing, and her nipples harden with her desire, Maia’s hands find an adventure of their own as they hike up Clary’s skirt. Her thumbs trace circle on the inside of Clary’s thighs and the woman shivers. If they aren’t careful, they might very well miss dinner with the Clan. They have missed each other so much, and this physical proximity is everything at the moment. Tomorrow will be for long talks and holding each other in the early morning sun. Tonight is for heat and passion. 

“Let’s stop here," Clary shivers, almost moans that, as she climbs off Maia’s lap. “We wouldn’t want to be late.” 

Maia is still sitting in the chair, her shirt open and showing off her breasts, and her pants also show that she is not wearing any kind of underwear. Clary bites her own lips and breathes in deeply; she is doing this for the sake of everyone, even if everything in her body is telling her to go kneel again and devour that woman until she has forgotten any other taste but her lover’s. 

“No,” Maia agrees languidly, getting up slowly and taking off her clothing, “we wouldn’t want that.” 

The scars on Maia, Clary knows them by heart. She loves touching them, asking for the stories behind each. Seeing Maia in her full naked glory, scarred, tattooed, and muscled body, is almost too much for her. It’s alright in between the silken sheets of their bed, or in the bathing tent, but here, exposed like this, when the grey wool of their tent lets in the sun’s rays, and they caress her lover’s body so delicately? Maia no longer looks human in those moments, she looks like a goddess, and Clary wants nothing more than to pledge her life to this beautiful being and worship her. 

Maia grins and dresses up, and Clary looks away, calming herself down. It doesn’t scare her anymore, the depth of her feelings for Maia. She loves her, and they’ve told each other so a few times. Three months back, she rode back to a city and used a phone to call Alec, when she had been almost freaking out about her feelings, and her brother had outright laughed at her. It was something he was more prone to doing now that he was with Magnus. 

“You love her, you idiot," he had said, and Clary had heard Magnus’ voice chipping in, but she couldn’t discern what he was saying. “Magnus says that you should have realized that much sooner.” 

“But how do I go about telling her?” She had asked, panicked.

“Very easily," Magnus had grabbed the phone at that point and shooed her brother away, but she could still hear Alec next to him, laughing softly, and the sound of kisses being placed on a body. “You walk up to her and tell her you love her. Your brother was very good at just bluntly saying it one day as I was just coming back from an expedition with the museum.” 

The advice, and cut off phone call when Clary had realized, half disgusted, half amused, that her brother was being distracted by Magnus, had helped her and she had told Maia that very evening, as she came back from town. 

Now though, she is coming to the realization that she wants to spend her life with Maia. That Maia isn’t just her lover, she’s the love of her life. Clary would happily lay down her own life if it meant saving Maia. There is no question of that though, not anymore. With Lilith and Jonathan dead, again, and buried under the crumbled ruins of Hamunaptra, Clary is free to happily live her life with Maia, in the desert. 

She likes the nomadic lifestyle. They move every two weeks or so; they have only been camped here for a month because of the meeting of the twelve Medjai tribes. Maia’s the highest ruler of them all, Clary had learned when she had accompanied Maia and Meliorn to the first meeting. It had been when she had said goodbye to Izzy, who had gone with Meliorn afterwards. The plan for Izzy and Meliorn had been to travel and learn more medicine, but Clary can’t tell that’s what happened. She’s a bit worried about her siblings, but she had news recently of Alec, and she’ll probably have news of Izzy tonight. And anyway, after Hamunaptra, they are all more than capable of handling themselves. 

Maia is all ready to go, having put on a rare all white outfit, her everyday boots giving her even more of an advantage on Clary as she comes to stand next to her lover. She has put on the golden and sapphire earrings Clary had salvaged from Hamunaptra, and she looks radiant. She always does, but there is a special tenderness in her eyes, something linked to having been gone for almost a week, and Clary knows the same feeling is echoing all over her face. 

“Shall we go?" Maia extends her arm and smiles tenderly. 

Clary takes her arm with an amused huff, and she follows the Medjai out of their home. They walk to the Clan’s communal fire, where people are already gathered, and everyone acclaims Maia’s return. She answers question after question, asks some of her own, inquires after the families of those who talk with her. She’s a good leader, considerate and careful. Her people love her, and she loves them right back. Clary had seen the way they had welcomed her back when she had come back from Hamunaptra. It had been triumphant and electric, and Clary had never seen a place so lively, a people so happy. She remembers the end of the Great War, remembers how people had been happy, but the happiness then had nothing to what the Medjais had expressed at Maia’s return. 

The walk back to their home is quiet, but full of heat still. The stars are bright here in the desert, brighter than Clary can ever remember seeing them before, and she is warm from both the alcohol she drank, although she made sure it wasn’t enough to dim her wit, and the presence of Maia at her side.

“You are happy here," Maia says, almost questions, as she opens the tent and lets Clary go in first. 

“Yes! I love it. It’s tough some days, but there is always something that makes it worth it. I love that I don’t have to hide, that I don’t have to worry about someone watching us and deciding to hurt us… I love learning to fight with Gretel. I even love learning proper Arabic with the children in the morning, and doing what needs to be done throughout the day. But what I love most,” she says as she wraps her arms around her lover’s neck and draws their faces closer, “Is that I am here with you. The woman I love.” 

Maia kisses her deeply then, and keeps kissing her as she walks them to the bed. She touches the dress, goes to the front as if she were to undo a shirt’s lacings, then frowns. 

“How am I supposed to even get this thing off from you?” She grumbles as Clary giggles slightly. “If you weren’t quite so gorgeous in it, I would consider ripping it so that I can finally have access to your delightful body…” 

Clary gasps in offence. "Ripping it? How dare you!” She manhandles her lover, so that Maia is laying down under her, waist straddled by Clary’s thighs. “Do you know how much it cost me?” 

“I don’t care for the riches of the British, you know that my love,” Maia grins maliciously and her hands go to caress under the dress again. “Except the one that I have in my bed.” 

Clary moans slightly when Maia's fingers quickly discards her underwear, caressing her vagina delicately. While Maia teases her and makes her moan, she removes her dress quickly, and then works at undressing Maia as well, but Maia quickly as a finger inside her, and Clary is panting loudly now. Her hips rock to Maia’s teasing finger, and she bites down on Maia’s nipple as she pushes the tunic off her girlfriend’s chest. 

“Gorgeous,” she pants as Maia withdraws her fingers. “Absolutely gorgeous.” 

“You were looking intent on something earlier,” Maia reminds her with a wicked look in her eyes, her hands coming up to undo Clary’s braid. Her still slightly wet hair falls out of her braid and Maia lets her eyes roam over the naked body of her lover. “I am truly the most blessed of the gods to have you in my bed.” 

“The gods have nothing to do with it,” Clary smirks and goes down slowly, Maia’s legs spreading to accommodate her. 

She kisses the inside of Maia's right thigh, repeats it on the left, gets closer to her crotch and then back. She teases like that for a little bit longer, amuses herself in listening the leader’s moans and pants. Only when Maia’s hand tangles in her curls does Clary’s lips press against her vagina. She teases with her tongue first, sucks a bit on the clitoris, before she uses previously established knowledge to drive her lover to the edge. Right when Maia’s climax is building, she stops and smirks when the woman protests. 

“We have a week to make up for,” she says against the warm skin of her lover, “Let’s make it count shall we?” 

Maia groans a bit but doesn't protest. Instead, she caresses Clary’s hair, leads her mouth back to her pussy. 

Clary licks it with greed and Maia moans. This is only the beginning of a very good night. 

In the morning, Clary wakes up with the warm body of Maia in her arms. The sun is peeking over the horizon, and it’s getting hot again, but she doesn’t move. It feels right, to hold Maia, to be in bed with her like this. It feels right to be behaving like any couple would. Clary has thought of it, many times, of how much easier her life would have been had she been born male. But she loves being a woman, and she loves loving women as a woman. She doesn’t think she could love a woman half as well as she does now if she had been born male. She wouldn’t give up being a woman who loves other women for the world. Especially not when she has the world’s most beautiful woman in her arms. 

“You think too much," Maia complains sleepily. “You woke me up.” 

“I think it is rather the sun who woke you up, my dear,” Clary laughs, kissing Maia’s neck. “But I do hope you’ll forgive me if my wonderings and thinking about the love I have for you woke you up.” 

“Mmm, I’ll forgive you for this once,” Maia smiles and turns to be facing Clary. “You’re happy here?” 

It’s the same question she had phrased as a fact the previous night, and Clary’s eyebrows rise up. “Of course I am!” 

“You don’t miss your life?" 

“What life? You mean the one I had in Cairo, when I was doing nothing during the day and going on secret dates with women who were dissatisfied by their husbands at nights? No, I don’t miss it.” 

“What about your siblings?" 

Clary sighs a bit this time. "Of course I miss them. I went from living with them from only calling Alec once or twice a month if I’m lucky, and not having much news from Izzy. But we have all chosen our paths, and we are all happy. I’ll go to see Alec again, and hopefully I’ll meet with Izzy in not too long. Why all those questions?” 

Maia shrugs a bit, but Clary can tell there is more underneath. When she is pushed, the woman looks away, something like a blush spreading on her cheeks. “I was wondering if you would like to stay with me. Here. With the Clan. Permanently.” 

The stilted way she says it, the way her eyes refuse to meet Clary’s, it makes Clary melt a little bit. Maia is nervous about asking this, afraid that Clary will say no. 

“Love,” Clary says and waits until Maia looks at her directly. “I thought I made it clear, but I clearly didn’t do good enough of a job at that. I love you. More than I’ve loved before. You are the love of my life. I want to be with you until the end of my days. Wherever you are, I also want to be. Of course I want to stay here with the Clan. With you.” 

She caresses her lover's cheek tenderly, and the brilliant smile that spreads over Maia’s face is the most beautiful sight to Clary. She hugs her lover and smiles tenderly. 

“I’m not leaving you any time soon, Maia.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Don't hesitate to leave a comment! And if there are things you want to see before the next chaptered fic start, send them over to me @saltytransidiot! (I realized that I hadn't opened my askbox for a while... It is now open and anon is available, so don't be afraid!) Love you all, stay safe!


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